Made To Play The Fool
by Pharaoh-Ink
Summary: Some days there's a madman laughing hysterically. Other days, it's the tears of a clown. All the best dramas are a mix of comedy and tragedy, don't you think?


Most days, he was Quackerjack. Eccentric toymaker, creative genius, mastermind of malice- all of these things formed the comical jester that St. Canard's hero went up against countless times.

But there was the rare occasion in which some days, he was just Jacky again. _Just_ Jacky- a failure, incompetent, immature, stubborn, unable to accept change, unable to get along with others. Just when he thought he could trust people, they always screwed him over in the end. The only things in his life that were stable were his toys, they never betrayed him, they did exactly what he programmed them to do, there was no curve ball, no surprises. He was in control, as a puppet master ought to be.

During those days, he locked himself away, in a world of muted colors that revealed to him the sad and simple truth, a truth he didn't want to face, a truth he tried to cover up with jokes and laughter, not to mention explosions.

He didn't like for people to see him without the mask, he could barely bring himself to face it. But it was impossible to keep it from someone forever, especially someone that worked closely with him. Elmo Sputterspark might have been scatterbrained, but even he could pick up on the odd behavioral inconsistencies. He mostly left the other villain alone to his devices, everybody had a right to their privacy. But one could only wonder what was buried and locked away inside that jack-in-the-box of a person. Quackerjack might have been terrifying when he was having a good time, but he was even more unnerving when all he would do was stare out, not a hint of his usual oversized smile stretched across his bill. That was far worse.

He was surprised to find out that Quackerjack had...well, a _life_ , before his life of crime. He just couldn't picture his partner in mayhem holding down a regular job, being stuffed into an office somewhere. It was a comical idea in of itself. But he did, at least, that's what he said. No one ever knew if the things Quackerjack said were truly honest. Some of his stories tended to be questionable. It was then that the jester eventually dropped another shocking revelation- he had a girlfriend. When did he find time to woo women?! Megavolt thought maybe he should have spent that time planning their heists, they might actually get over on _Dimwing_ some time! Women were problematic, many encounters he'd had with them ending tragically, making him terrified of the prospect of getting close to one, much less in that way. His beautiful luminaries in the next room provided all the emotional support he'd ever need.

Regardless, Quackerjack had apparently took it upon himself to separate himself from her. She didn't live a life of crime, she didn't have any baggage or hangups. She was an ordinary, every day citizen of their city, someone who worked hard, paid her bills on time, had her life together. Megavolt couldn't help but roll his eyes, disgusted, but said nothing. The whole idea of normalcy didn't appeal to him, and it simply couldn't. Villains like them were too different from ordinary, they had tried to fit in that mold once before, and look where it had gotten them. Even the caped crusader himself couldn't say he was normal- what normal guy jumped from roof to roof, looking for freaks to rough up? A real weirdo, that's who!

"You're lucky."

Megavolt looked confused, and Quackerjack went on to explain, with an awkward, unenthusiastic chuckle. "I just mean, since, you know, your memory. It's not so clear, all the time, right? All that shockin' to your noggin. It must be nice."

"What is?"

"That you can...forget everything. The past."

Megavolt frowned then, "I don't forget _everything._ I mean, not the important stuff at least."

"Yeah, sure." Quackerjack's smile twitched for a moment, before becoming down-turned. He didn't really see the point in bringing up the fact that Megavolt had forgotten their plans halfway through them at times, and even forgot that it was raining outside when he was the one who had made a point of saying he couldn't go out that day because it was raining. Sparky always did give him a good laugh.

"Anyway, my whole point is, you can be who you are now without the weight of who you once were. You aren't _what's his name_ from down the street, a regular ol' schmo that works for some corporation. You're who you want to be- a weirdo that has an infatuation for vacuum cleaners, and toasters!"

Megavolt's mismatched eyes narrowed before he realized that the statement, although harsh, was true in all honesty. "So what's that make you?"

Quackerjack paused, his body slouching, and he finally looked off. It wasn't until a few minutes later, he spoke up again, and Megavolt was surprised to find the other villains' eyes appeared to be wet.

"I was going to propose. I thought...maybe there was a chance. Maybe I could be that _schmo_ she needed, good for more than a laugh. She shouldn't have me as I am. Not that she wouldn't. If I asked, I know she'd say yes in a heartbeat. But... she deserves better. Someone who isn't a constant failure and is always pretending."

The jester sighed, his smile returning, though still hampered by that sad look in his eye, that version of truth doomed to be locked away in that jack-in-the-box once more. Left for another day, should he choose to open it on accident again. "I'll never be more than..." He jingled a bell on his costume. "A _fool._ "


End file.
